Heritage Christian ready for big season with solid basketball team

Dec. 17, 2012

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In fourth grade, as their team was winning tournaments and leagues, Matthew McGinley was thinking about this season.

If the same kids stayed together until they were seniors at Heritage Christian Academy in Fort Collins, what could their final high school basketball season be like?

“I knew it could be special,” McGinley said. “I knew we’d have a lot of seniors and bunch of friends playing together. We’ve all been looking forward to it.”

And for good reason. The Eagles have the makings of what could be a special season.

Heritage Christian is off to a 6-0 start heading into the holiday break. A week ago, the Eagles picked up three wins, including a 59-54 win over a solid Evangelical Christian team on the road. It was the third win in four days.

People are starting to notice, too. Heritage Christian is ranked No. 10 in Class 2A in the state coaches’ poll compiled by The Denver Post. Even so, the Eagles often are overshadowed even in their own town, where they battle for attention against the four public schools.

“We understand we’re a smaller school, that we’re playing in 2A,” said Kevin McGinley, Matthew’s dad and the team’s coach who is in his ninth season. “We’re not as well known, but it’s fun when people outside of the Heritage Christian community start to notice. It’s neat when it generates interest in our school through athletics.”

This isn’t the first time Heritage Christian has had a strong team. The Eagles have reached the regional final in two of the past three seasons, leaving them only a game from the state tournament. In Class 2A, that means reaching the final eight.

Heritage Christian did just that in 2009 and went on to finish fifth at state. Matthew McGinley watched his dad coach that team, which included his brother, Jonathan.

“The whole time I was thinking, ‘This is what I have to do.’ I definitely don’t want to miss out on that,” he said.

That is the goal this season for the Eagles, who have eight seniors on their 13-man roster. The six wins to start the season was somewhat expected, although doing so took the effort and talent coming together.

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McGinley leads the team in scoring, averaging 16.5 points. The guard also averages 3.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists, but the team is full of talent.

Heritage Christian as a team averages nearly 70 points and gives up an average of just of 45.

“I knew going in we had the potential to be close to that level (of the 2008-09 team),” Kevin McGinley said. “This team reminds me of that team as far as experience and level of skill.

“The ingredients to our success are that experience and the number of seniors. But it’s the leadership and the character and heart these kids have. They play with the right attitude. … It’s the intangibles, the friendship and unity they have in addition to the ability God has given them.”

The Eagles will come out of the holiday break with a game Jan. 8 at Estes Park, a Class 3A team receiving votes in the coaches’ poll. There also are back-to-back games next month against Denver Christian and Resurrection Christian, likely the team to beat in the Mile High League.

Make no mistake, however, Heritage Christian is ready for the challenges it knows are ahead.

“Those teams are good and have had a lot of success,” Hurley said. “We know we can be right there. We know we have to play with those great teams.”